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Captain Corelli's Mandolin, a 1993 novel written by Louis de Bernières, is a story about an Italian captain (Antonio Corelli) and the daughter (Pelagia) of the local physician (Dr. Iannis) on the island of Kefalonia set against the background of the Italian/German occupation of the island during World War II. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Louis de Bernières (born London, UK on December 8, 1954) is a British novelist. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... --70. ... A romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. ... A war novel is a novel in which the primary action takes place in a field of armed combat, or in a domestic setting (or home front) where the characters are preoccupied with the preparations for, or recovery from, war. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the literary concept. ... Louis de Bernières (born London, UK on December 8, 1954) is a British novelist. ... Kefalonia, also known as Cephallenia, Cephallonia, Kefallinia, or Kefallonia (Ancient Greek: Κεφαλληνία; Modern Greek: Κεφαλλονιά or Κεφαλονιά), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece with an area of 350 sq. ... Combatants Italy Greece Commanders Sebastiano Visconti Prasca Ubaldo Soddu Ugo Cavallero Giovanni Messe Alexander Papagos Strength 529,000 men Under 300,000 men Casualties 13,755 dead, 50,874 wounded, 25,067 missing, 12,368 incapacitated by frostbites, ca. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Most notable is de Bernières' ambiguity to heroes and villains. Following the traits of the modern novel, de Bernières presents characters rather than stereotypes and avoids explicit judgement of them as individuals. Many of the characters, despite committing atrocities, are viewed as victims of bad circumstance - people caught between death and following orders. For other uses, see Hero (disambiguation). ... “Bad guy” redirects here. ...

For example, the character Gunter Weber carries a great degree of sympathy from the writer, despite the fact that he fully engages with the Nazi ideology and is guilty of taking part in the killing of an entire Italian regiment, yet it is known that he has become friends with the people of this regiment - yet he must follow orders. This is shown in both the titles of the chapters in which he appears "The Good Nazi", his moral scruples and reverses of decision in that he at first hates the Italians for surrendering then tries to convince his superior not to kill them, citing examples of international law. Nazism, or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ...

Similarly Mandras, the young fisherman to whom Pelagia is engaged before the war, is guilty of murder, torture, and rape, yet the author portrays him sympathetically, showing him to be more a victim of circumstance "just another life tarnished... by war" than a one-dimensional 'bad guy'.

This said, many other characters are portrayed in a not-so-flattering light, such as Mussolini, shown to be petty, uncultured and irrational despite his pretensions towards 'sensitivity' and intellectualism, or Hector (or the andartes who take Dr. Iannis away), who is brutal and takes no responsibility for his actions despite his confessed belief in the brotherly love of the Communist ideology. Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ...

Major Characters

• Dr. Iannis - The Island's unofficial doctor who spends a lot of his spare time writing about the history of Cephallonia. He is well respected by the rest of the Island.

• Pelagia - Dr. Iannis' daughter who is not like the other women on the island (she was well educated and has a lot of respect from her father), who at first falls in love with Mandras, then later with Antonio.

• Mandras - A young, handsome fisherman who falls in love with Pelagia, only to destroy their relationship by going to fight in the war.

• Carlo - A homosexual Italian soldier who falls in love with Francesco only to lose him to the war. He later falls in love with and dies for Antonio.

• Antonio Corelli - An Italian captain with a love for music and life. He detests the war, gradually falls in love with Pelagia but the war inevitably tears them apart again.

Major themes

Corelli's Mandolin deals with a wide variety of themes from politics and history to romance. The theme of love is explored all throughout the novel. We see the initial love between Pelagia and Mandras, which burns out as a result of the war, and the change it prompts in both of them. We come to realise that this was a relationship based on lust rather than love. Corelli and Pelagia's love is the central focus of the novel, developing slowly. The endurance of this love despite the physical degradation of both characters makes us feel a much deeper sense of love than at the beginning. Love is described by Dr. Iannis as, "what is left when the passion has gone," and it certainly appears that this criterion is fulfilled by the love of Corelli and Pelagia. The paternal love of Iannis for Pelagia is also strong and is heavily compared and contrasted to that of Corelli's. The theme of homosexuality is also a recurring issue as Carlo deals with his inner feelings. The reason the character joins the Italian army in the first place is to protect the man he loves, during the course of which he falls in love with Francesco. Upon Francesco's death Carlo is almost driven to suicide until he meets Corelli and falls in love once more. The character Carlo seems ill at ease with his sexuality and only confesses his love to Francesco as he (Francesco) is dying from a fatal wound and to Corelli once he himself is dead. For other uses, see Love (disambiguation). ... Lust is any intense desire or craving for self gratification. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ...

The theme of music is predominant, offering a direct contrast to the horror and destruction that the war brings, showing how something beautiful can arise from something horrible. The war is described in graphic detail, particularly the death of Francesco. It is responsible for the fall of Mandras and Weber, and for the deaths of Carlo and Francesco. It is also responsible for the separation of Pelagia and Corelli. For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see War (disambiguation). ...

Throughout the novel de Bernières takes a harsh view of all forms of totalitarianism, condemning Fascism, Nazism, and Communism alike. De Bernières described this as a novel about: "what happens to the little people when megalomaniacs get busy." Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Totalitarianism is a term employed by some scientists, especially those in the field of comparative politics, to describe modern regimes in which the state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior. ... Fascism is an authoritarian political ideology (generally tied to a mass movement) that considers individual and other societal interests subordinate to the needs of the state, and seeks to forge a type of national unity, usually based on, but not limited to, ethnic, cultural, or racial attributes. ... Nazism, or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the totalitarian ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ...

Another theme of the novel is the study of history. This can be seen through the character of Dr. Iannis who spends much of his spare time attempting to write a history of Cephallonia. However he usually finds his personal feelings and biases running through whatever he writes. There is also a strong feeling against 'professional' history which is suggested by Carlo Guercio's statement that "I know that if we [the axis] win then there will be stories about mass graves in London and vice versa". This is reinforced by De Bernières' quote that: "history ought to be made up of the stories of ordinary people only." From this view point it can be seen that de Bernières as very much a revisionist historian, considering social history superior to that of political. History studies time in human terms. ... In Parson Weems Fable (1939) Grant Wood takes a sly poke at a traditional hagiographical account of George Washington Historical revisionism has both a legitimate academic use and a pejorative meaning. ...

Criticism

The novel has received a great deal of critical acclaim, markedly more so than any of de Bernières' other works. However some have suggested that the story of Captain Corelli's Mandolin is plagiarised from a remarkably similar true account written by a former captain in the Italian Army^{[citation needed]}. De Bernières denies all knowledge of this account before writing Captain Corelli's Mandolin^{[citation needed]} but the extraordinary similarity between the two stories leaves the veracity of the claim ambiguous.

Referenced

Near the end of the novel, Pelagia receives a photograph from Gunter Weber with a German passage from Goethe's "Faust" (also a very popular German Lied, set to music by Schubert : Gretchen am Spinnrad) written on the back. It reads: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (pronounced [gø tə]) (August 28, 1749–March 22, 1832) was a German writer, politician, humanist, scientist, and philosopher. ... For other uses, see Faust (disambiguation). ...

"Meine Ruh' ist hin,

Mein Herz ist schwer,

Ich finde sie nimmer

Und nimmermehr."

Which translates as:

"My peace is gone,

My heart is heavy,

I will find it never

and never more."

Awards

1995-Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... The Commonwealth Writers Prize was established in 1987. ...

Adaptations

Radio

The novel was adapted as four 45-minute radio plays from 17-20 September 2007 on BBC Radio 4, having been chosen as a popular 'Book of the Week' on the same station some years earlier. The episode titles were "A Pea in the Ear," "Invasion of the Italians," "Looking for Snails" and "Earthquake." It was narrated by Tom Goodman-Hill, with Celia Meiras as Pelagia, Stephen Greif as Dr Iannis, Daniel Philpott as Corelli. The mandolin music for it was composed and performed by Alison Stephens, and the production was produced and directed by David Hunter. Other cast members included: Stephen Greif (born August 26, 1944) is an English actor. ...

• Carlo - Anthony Psaila
• Mandras - Chris Pavlo
• Velisarios - Alexi Kaye Campbell
• Father Arsenios - Alex Zorbas
• Lemoni - Ania Gordon
• Drosoula - Anna Savva
• Hector - Nitin Ganatra
• Officer - Simon Treves

Anna Savva is an actress who has appeared in many British TV shows since 1985. ... Nitin Ganatra (born 1967 in Kenya) is a British actor. ... Simon Treves is a British actor, director and writer. ...

Film

Main article: Captain Corelli's Mandolin (film)

Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)

A movie version of Captain Corelli's Mandolin was released in 2001, with Nicolas Cage as the Italian Captain Corelli, John Hurt as Dr. Iannis, and Penélope Cruz as his daughter, Pelagia. It also starred Christian Bale and Irene Papas. It was directed by John Madden. It was received poorly by critics and the general public. Captain Corellis Mandolin (2001) Captain Corellis Mandolin is a 2001 film directed by John Madden and based on the novel of the same name by Louis de Bernières. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ... For the singer, see Mississippi John Hurt. ... Penélope Cruz Sánchez (pronounced ) (born April 28, 1974, in Madrid, Spain), better known as Penélope Cruz, is a Golden Globe- and Academy Award-nominated Spanish actress. ... Christian Charles Philip Bale (also known professionally as Christian Morgan Bale; born 30 January 1974) is a Welsh-born English[2][3] method actor who is known for his roles in the films American Psycho, Shaft, Equilibrium, The Machinist, Batman Begins and The Prestige, among others. ... Irene Papas (Greek Ειρήνη Παππά, born September 3, 1926 in Corinth) is a Greek-born actress who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years. ... John Philip Madden (born April 8, 1949) is an English director of theatre, film, television, and radio. ...